50 States, 50 Pies

Bee on the Brow Celebrates America250

On Friday afternoons, something special is happening at Bee on the Brow bed and breakfast. Guests gather, forks in hand, for what has quickly become a beloved ritual: Friday Pie Day. But this is no ordinary dessert service.

In honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the inn’s owners, Rachel and Pete Sterns, have embarked on an ambitious and heartfelt project: serving one pie for each of the 50 states, one week at a time, for 50 consecutive Fridays.

The year’s lineup of pies follows the order in which the states either ratified the Constitution or when they joined the union. It’s a yearlong culinary journey through American history, geography, and culture.

It is incredible, the couple has learned, what stories can be conveyed through crust and filling. “Friday means pie day in 2026,” Rachel says. And at Bee on the Brow, that simple phrase has become a mission.

A Sweet Way to Tell America’s Story

The idea began as a conversation late last year. How could they mark the nation’s semiquincentennial in a way that felt meaningful, accessible, and joyful? The answer, it turned out, was pie.

“For 50 weeks, we are baking one pie a week, showcasing the flavors, stories, and traditions of each of the 50 states,” Rachel explains. “All of us are learning new and interesting things as we celebrate America250.”

So far, 18 states have been featured. On Friday, May 1, it’s Louisiana’s time to shine. Each pie is carefully chosen, researched, and sometimes debated. Because here’s the twist: not every state has an official pie. That’s where the homework begins.

A Spreadsheet and a Little Healthy Debate

Behind each Friday’s dessert is a surprising amount of research. The couple built a detailed spreadsheet, pulling from five different sources to determine what pie best represents each state.

“When there’s uniformity, it makes it easy,” Rachel says. Take Mississippi, for example — an easy call. “Mississippi mud pie all across the board, everybody agreed,” Rachel says. But other states? Not so simple. Nevada is still to be determined. Alabama sparked five competing ideas (they haven’t made the final call on which pie they’ll serve, so stay tuned).

New Jersey famously led them to something unexpected: a “pie” that’s actually a pizza. “We did a Trenton Tomato Pie,” Rachel says. “Cheese first, then sauce on top.” She added a poached egg, and voila! The results were delicious.

In some cases, they double up, offering both a sweet and savory interpretation. One of the pies most mentioned for Alaska is salmon pie, for example, in addition to the sweet Baked Alaska and others. For some selections, they lean into storytelling, using recipes from well-known chefs, regional traditions, or even the input of their guests themselves.

Seasonal Ingredients

This journey is also about authenticity. Whenever possible, the couple sources ingredients from the state they’re highlighting: Texas pecans for pecan pie; local peaches when in season for Georgia; even frozen pawpaw fruit, tracked down months in advance and transported across state lines for a future pie. Seasonality has become one of the project’s biggest challenges.

“If I’d had this idea two years ago, I would have been really organized,” Rachel says of the seasonality of fillings versus the order in the pie lineup. In truth, she is impressively organized. Though the pies are baked in Mentone, the project stretches far beyond the inn’s kitchen. The couple’s daughter, Abigail, helps research recipes and contributes baking ideas from Michigan. Daughter-in-law Marie handles social media and storytelling, weaving history and cultural context into each post. And Pete? He’s enjoying adding “slicer” and “taster” to his resume.

A Celebration of Connection

At its core, the pie project is about more than food. It’s about reframing the national conversation. “We have more that unites us than divides us,” Rachel says. Through pie, they highlight what’s good: regional traditions, shared history, and the simple joy of gathering around a table. Guests feel it, too. Visitors from across the country (28 states so far) have joined in, often asking eagerly when their home state’s pie will appear. Some social media followers even offer recipes or ingredients.

One guest from Maine offered to grow the blueberries for the Maine pie. “By the time their blueberries were ripe, their pie would have already happened on our calendar, so we said, ‘what you can do is give us a recipe,’” Rachel says.

“Everybody’s got a story,” she emphasizes. “And that’s part of what we’re learning.”

That sense of connection is at the heart of Bee on the Brow itself. The bed and breakfast, now in its fifth year, is known for its sweeping views, thoughtfully designed suites, and warm, communal atmosphere. Each room is named for a variety of honey, a nod to both nature and the couple’s travels, from Alaska to Europe. And their passion for nature is reflected in the inn’s design and decor.

Originally built as a private home, the property was extensively restored by the Sternses, who saw themselves not just as business operators but also as stewards of the building’s past. Their path to innkeeping was anything but conventional. Pete served in the Air Force and earned an advanced degree in space systems. Rachel has a background in finance. Pete grew up in Wyoming, Rachel in Florida. After years of moving around the world, they landed in Alabama almost by accident.

“When I retired from the military,” Pete explains, “we were living in Brussels, and then coming back stateside to look for a place. We thought Huntsville, given my space background, would be a likely place where I could find a job and they’d have good schools with good swim programs for our son, who had two years left in high school. So we landed in Huntsville, I found a job, then Andrew graduated, and we thought it was time to find out if we were meant to do a bed and breakfast.”

The couple researched the industry and decided to pursue their dream. A friend told them to visit Mentone, so they booked a stay to explore the area. “I was gobsmacked at the beauty up here. I had no idea Alabama had anything that looked like this,” Pete says, the wonder of it still in his voice.

During their trip “we woke up above the clouds,” Rachel says.

Pete had gone out to enjoy the morning and the views. “A bear cub had been frolicking up the mountain. I was like, OK, God, I think you’re trying to tell us something here.” The couple began their property search. They eventually purchased the house that for years belonged to the late Homer Crow, and they made Mentone their home. Though she grew up elsewhere, Rachel was born in Alabama and is an active member of the Phillip Hamman Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Fort Payne.

Pie as a Unifying Language

Fast forward to 2026, when every Friday, as slices are served, conversations unfold. Some pies surprise, like grape pie made from Concord grapes. Others feel familiar, like peach or pecan. A few, like the labor-intensive Baltimore Bomb with its chopped cookies inside the pie filling, require multiple attempts before winning hearts.

But each one adds to the larger picture. “Fifty states are 50 groups of people that lean into their culture, their geography, their family lineage,” Rachel says. Somehow, through all that diversity, a shared identity emerges.

By year’s end, all 50 states will have had their moment in the spotlight. But the project won’t quite be over. With 52 weeks in the year, the final Fridays will feature “honorable mentions”— pies that didn’t make the official list but deserve recognition.

Because once you start exploring America through pie, it’s hard to stop.

A Slice of Optimism

In a time when national conversations can feel fractured, Bee on the Brow offers something refreshingly simple: a reminder that joy, curiosity, and community still exist in abundance. And the couple’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. The inn has been certified as an official America250 Alabama Partner by the Alabama USA Semiquincentennial Commission and the American Village Citizenship Trust, an honor bestowed for “helping to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence by supporting and promoting a multitude of programs and events that educate, engage, and unite Alabamians around the nation’s founding principles.” (See america250al.org/partners to learn more.)

Our food reflects our differences and our similarities. That inspiring American concept is celebrated at Bee on the Brow every Friday.

See “The Mountain Kitchen” on Page 15 of this issue to see recipes for three of the pies served at the inn, plus Rachel’s piecrust recipe.

Follow Bee on the Brow’s Facebook page, facebook.com/beeonthebrow, to see what each week’s selection will be. You will learn a lot about the history and culture surrounding the pie.